City seeks Election Day gripes

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November 8, 2012 - 4:35 PM

Voters waited at Seward Tower

After reports of long lines in cold and rain, unbalanced precincts, problems with voting equipment and delayed results, city officials are asking Minneapolitans for their feedback on how to improve matters.

One reason for the long lines was that redistricting meant some people were voting in new polling places and election officials didn't know how many people would turn out under the redrawn lines. In some multi-precinct polling stations, voters in one precinct breezed through while people in the other precinct faced long lines. Another reason for delay can be blamed on voters themselves. Those who registered on Election Day could have saved themselves that line had they shown up to register and vote in the August primary election.

Technology snafus also created problems that weren't caught in pre-election testing. A combination of ballots with tiny flecks that discombobulated aging scanners caused ballots to be rejected. The city was able to devise a work-around for some precincts but hand counting is still going on Thursday in three precincts,